Interviewer: A reporter of the AFP
[Washington, AFP: Ayatullah Khomeini announced that he will establish a new government to take the position of the Bakhtiyar government and the emergence of an Islamic government in Iran is near. Answering the question, whether he will become" Iran's powerful man," Ayatullah Khomeini said that he will neither have the same scope of powers of the Shah, nor will become the premier, but that he will maintain his role of guiding people.
Khomeini also stated that he has predicted those who will be future Cabinet members, and that they are all in Iran and have accepted to be part of the new government. Anyway, Ayatullah Khomeini refused to reveal their names. The Leader of the Shi`ah refrained from explaining how a new government would take the position of Bakhtiyar's government with his ideas, after Shah's departure. Whether they would over throw the current cabinet or a new government would be established besides Bakhtiyar government?
Khomeini sufficed to say that like the other governments that were established during Shah's reign, Bakhtiyar government was also illegal and the nation does not support it.
Khomeini added:]
Being a prime minister is not my duty. My duty is to guide and lead the people.
[Some other points that the leader of the Shi`ah referred to are as follows:]
The Islamic Iran will have a Majlis whose members will be chosen by the vote of the people, and the only parties and groups that are permitted to attend the elections are those who respect national interest.
[Khomeini added here:]
Those who are still supporting the Shah, have continued their support due to the presence of foreigners in the country and whenever they leave the country, the military men would stop to support betrayers. A powerful army would be kept for the country and the current army will be refined from corrupt agents.
And about the United States; whenever Washington puts an end to its support for the Shah and Bakhtiyar's government, all hostilities toward the US would be vanished.
About Marxism, no kind of relations exists among the Islamic movement and the impious Marxism. It is impossible to be both a Muslim and a Marxist at the same time. We would have friendly relations with the Soviet Union provided that this country and other countries avoid interfering in Iran's domestic affairs. All kinds of relations with Israel will be cut, but Jews are free to stay in Iran and live in an environment that is freer than that of the Shah's government, because Islam respects all the other religions.